Going Out on a Limb: Luke 18:31---19:10 - Fifth Sunday of Lent

Zacchaeus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see

And when the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree
And said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!
For I'm going to your house today!
For I'm going to your house today!”

When I sang this song in Sunday School as a child, I didn’t think about how strange it must have looked as Zacchaeus, dressed in his expensive clothes, struggled climb the tree, hanging on for dear life. He wasn’t Tarzan; he was a tax collector. And not just any tax collector, he was the tax collector, in charge of all the collectors in Jericho.

To Jews in Jesus’s day, a tax collector was the ultimate traitor, because they collected taxes for the Roman occupiers. But Rome didn’t pay them a salary. Instead, Rome permitted them to charge fees to the taxpayers, and many used their position to get rich.

This was probably why no one was willing to stand aside so Zacchaeus could see Jesus. So, he had to climb the tree. 

Image by stencilmyst from Pixabay

But why was he so desperate to see Jesus?

I can understand why the blind beggar wanted to see Jesus. Jesus’s mercy was the only hope he had. Even when the crowd scolded him for raising a ruckus, he was undeterred. But what did Zacchaeus need? 

Click here to read the Scripture text

Was he desperate for someone to love him, since everyone hated him? Was he burdened with guilt for how he became rich?

Zacchaeus isn’t the first tax collector to be drawn to Jesus. In Luke’s Gospel, tax collectors are drawn to Jesus like fish to the water. The disciple Matthew was a tax collector before Jesus called him. Tax collectors can be seen breaking bread with Jesus nearly everywhere he goes.

In the end, Zacchaeus and his fellow tax collectors aren’t all that different from the blind beggar. Sure, the tax collectors have money and power. But all were outcasts. No one treated them as having value. But when Jesus came near, something in their souls leapt to life. The blind beggar cried out with a loud voice. Zacchaeus scrambled up a tree.

When Jesus drew near, the blind beggar received his sight. When Jesus came to Zacchaeus’s home, Zacchaeus is so transformed that he pledges to give half of his possessions to the poor and pay back fourfold anyone he had ever cheated.

Luke doesn’t say if he quit his job, and there’s a chance he did not, because Jesus never commanded this of tax collectors. All Jesus asked was that they not practice extortion.

Still, this is a radical change of heart, accompanied by a radical change of life. It all happened because Jesus came to town, and because Zacchaeus was willing to go out on a limb to seize the gift of a transformed life.

Just the same, Jesus is going to show up in your life, and something in your soul will leap at his presence. I can only describe it as holy heartburn; something that stops you in your tracks and grabs your attention. Suddenly, you know you’re standing on holy ground. And now, you see a person who needs your presence, your prayers, or your good works. You may be in the presence of an angel who’s going to help you, teach you, or inspire you. You may have a burning desire to act, a vision of justice, a dream of a transformed community. Jesus may come as a sudden burst of grace to make a life-transforming decision, just as Zacchaeus did as he welcomed Jesus into his home.

Jesus’s call always begins with a burning in your heart, and you must respond to with prayer. This is why it’s important that you study and know the Scriptures. This is why it’s so important that you have trusted Christian friends who will help you listen to Jesus, understand his call, and follow through. Plenty of people have done terrible things, claiming that God spoke to them. As the Body of Christ, we keep each other humble, because humility and repentance go hand-in-hand. We hold each other accountable. Only the humble can glorify God. There can be no obedience without repentance.

A life of discipleship is never a life of comfort and ease. Jesus is going to show up, and he is going to take you out on a limb, out of your comfort zone, to take risks, do good works without the guarantee of good outcomes. He will take you out on a limb to challenge you, teach you, and use you to reveal his glory to the world. Faith is going out on a limb.

There’s no predicting when Jesus will to show up, where he will show up, or how he will show up. But there’s something in your soul which draws you to him, even when you’re not actually seeking him. I see this often during funeral services. Though everyone is hurting, Jesus is speaking through the Gospels and calling all the grieving to take refuge in him. And I know people are listening. I cannot tell you how often people will say, “I need to get back to church,” or “I’ll see on Sunday” during funerals. Yet few will ever follow through on that.

We all get that sense that Jesus is near, and much of the time, we’re not willing to go out on a limb for him. We’re too wrapped up in our own affairs. But Jesus doesn’t give up easily.

Next time you get that burning sensation in your soul, do what Zacchaeus does. Be willing to go out on a limb for him. Stop what you’re doing and pay attention. Welcome him into your presence. Ask him to open your eyes, your ears, your mind, your heart, your hands. Let go and let him lead you. Surrender yourself and let him transform you. Receive the gift of salvation.